Let's Get Cooking...Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini

Yeah I know....journey of a jeweler...so why cooking? Well, easy answer. Big family. We get HUNGRY! And big secret? I LOVE to cook! Last night I made this soup...and they all dove in with reckless abandon. That doesn't always happen, so when it does...I will share it with YOU! Ingredients: 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed 1 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 5 cups beef broth 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup red wine 4 large tomatoes - peeled, seeded & chopped / or 3 cans diced tomatoes 1 cup thinly sliced carrots 1/2 Tbs. packed fresh basil 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 1 8oz can tomato sauce 1-1/2 cups sliced zucchini 8 oz. fresh tortellini pasta 3 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

1. In a 5 qt. Dutch oven, brown sausage. Remove sausage & drain, reserving 1 Tbs. of drippings.
2. Saute onions & garlic in drippings. Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce & sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer UNCOVERED for 30 minutes.
3. Skim fat from the soup. Stir in zucchini & parsley. Simmer COVERED for 30 minutes. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.

This is not a broth heavy soup...so if you like more broth add more! You might want to adjust your seasoning as well. Also, this soup does not call for salt, but I added a few twists of sea salt. mmmmm. nice! A nice salad, a crusty loaf of bread...and you are set for the perfect winter meal. Enjoy!